Colleges / Grand View University
College · Private nonprofit · Des Moines, IA · City
GVU

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA

Religious affiliation
Address1200 Grandview Ave, Des Moines, IA 50316
Websitewww.grandview.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate99%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$22k
Undergrad size1,486
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $22k/yr for a shot at a $48k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 99% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average ACT 20.

If you get in

1,486 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $49k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $22k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$194k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$87k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$107k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$34.8k
Room & board
$13.9k
Books & supplies
$1,296

How students pay for it.

Pell grants45%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans72%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention72%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr54%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$53k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out21%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
1,486
Location
Des Moines, IA
Region
Plains (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Smaller Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
GVC
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White54%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Unknown11%
  • Black10%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Asian4%
  • International3%
First-gen students36%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time7%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$50k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 49

What you can study.

Colleges / Grand View University
College · Private nonprofit · Des Moines, IA · City
GVU

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA

Religious affiliation
Address1200 Grandview Ave, Des Moines, IA 50316
Websitewww.grandview.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate99%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$22k
Undergrad size1,486
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $22k/yr for a shot at a $48k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 99% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average ACT 20.

If you get in

1,486 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $49k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $22k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$194k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$87k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$107k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$34.8k
Room & board
$13.9k
Books & supplies
$1,296

How students pay for it.

Pell grants45%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans72%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$23k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention72%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr54%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$53k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out21%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
1,486
Location
Des Moines, IA
Region
Plains (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Smaller Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
GVC
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White54%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Unknown11%
  • Black10%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Asian4%
  • International3%
First-gen students36%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time7%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$50k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 49

What you can study.